Hoosiers lose Watkins, Gainer probably next

Kenneth Watkins, a safety from Michigan, has given a verbal commitment to Minnesota according to Rivals.com. The three-star safety originally committed to Indiana over the summer after a strong camp performance in Bloomington. At the time he was somewhat of an unknown because injury kept him off the field his junior season.

His verbal came shortly before that of his cousin and another top Michigan player, outside linebacker Jeremy Gainer.Â Now it appears that Gainer, too, will not become a Hoosier. He’s deciding between Michigan State and Minnesota, according to Watkins.

Gainer is the No. 15 outside linebacker in the class according to Rivals and was Indiana’s only four-star commit.

The Hoosiers now appear to be down to 14 commitments and have two more slots in the class that will sign in February, as there are 69 returning scholarship players on the team.

Kyle, I share your sentiments – Dickie V. went on and on about how Sampson should have called Weber to let him know he was going to pursue Gordon after he “re-opened his recruitment”. As we all know, Weber is still whining to this day and is relishing in the struggles that IU Basketball is having this season. Do you think Brewster called Lynch and told him Minny was going after a couple of his players, doubt it. So a little message for Weber – shut the hell up (BTW, my prediction is that IU upsets Illinois in Bloomington THIS YEAR)! And for Watkins and Gainer – do you realize that Iowa beat Minny by more that IU lost to Iowa (without all the injuries)?

Seems like Glass’ statement that Lynch is staying on as coach had the real impact most of us expected – driving recruits away rather than making them stay. Seems to me that Lynch probably ran to Glass imploring him to make the statement that he would stay on – doubt it was rooted in fact that it would keep recruits, more in just getting Glass to publicly commit to keeping him.

And, when our top recruits are getting picked off by the Gophers, we really have problems. I’m sure these kids see the writing on the wall that, instead of making a coaching change this year, we’re just going to have to make one next year. So why come to a place where you will be part of a rebuilding process after you’ve used up your first year of eligibility when you can go to a place that is already rebuilding / rebuilt?

That’s where we were before this past season – rebuilding toward something special. Now we seem to be sliding back down.

Glad to see Aruss is out with his excellent, satirical commentary as the lead post on this story. Good stuff as always.

I’d like to know where the real journalists are around here?? Everyone seems to be in the tank for this guy in the media and I dunno why! We are one of the worst teams in D 1 and the worst by 52 points in the big ten. This is not acceptable and anyone who accepts this is part of the problem. Grow a set and report how the fans really fell or give the pen to someone else!

Techinally, we do still have a 4-star. Duwyce Wilson is a 4-star on Scout. And while I hate to lose recruits, most of you guys are overreacting. There have been several articles about our commits over at Peegs. The only two who have considered leaving are Watkins and Gainer. Wilson even said that other schools have been recruiting him since he committed, but he told them to stop because he is not interested.

Hey Peegs Fan
No, you don’t have to like it. I don’t either, but we need to move on and discuss topics that haven’t been beaten to death. I’m sure after a couple of games next year we can crank up the “fire Bill Lynch” campaign again.

What hasn’t been beaten to death? Fire Lynch, Fire Tom Cream, Bring Bobby Back, Myles Brand has something against us, I hate the Boilers, I don’t see anything wrong in what Sampson did, Weber is a whiner, Fire Greenspan, Fire the new AD, Fire Ice, fire that intern, fire….

Greenspan did nothing to acknowledge the screams. It seems possible he is so accustomed to standing on the field that he has learned to block out crowd noise completely.

But seconds later, upon glancing up at the scoreboard and seeing Wisconsin ahead 55-20, he took the red Indiana jacket balled up in his right fist and used it to dab at his forehead.

Indiana would end up losing by that score, falling to 3-7 and officially out of contention for a bowl. Harassed again by injuries and another listless second half, the Hoosiers ended their much-anticipated eight-game home schedule with just three wins and a fan base comprised of the ever-hopeful, the downtrodden and the irate.

A group of people in the student section unraveled a large sheet in the second half that read â€œFire Bill Lynch.â€ They held it proudly for about two minutes until ushers arrived and had them roll it up. Then, they left.

But even this anecdote relies on a couple of people’s opinions. There were about five people total yelling things at Lynch, and the group of students with the sign was about five deep.

Is that really representative of what the IU fan base thinks?

There are people who’ve loudly and repeatedly called for Lynch’s firing on this blog. Are they representative?

I don’t think I’m breaking new ground when I say that the angriest people are often the loudest. It’s worth noting what those people are saying, but I don’t think it’s a way to measure the feelings toward the program.

We can have a really lengthy debate about Lynch. But this reporter looks at it this way: IU football was a complete mess — for a variety of reasons — when Terry Hoeppner took over. He began the process of rebuilding it on the field, but was even more adept at galvanizing the fan base with his charisma and optimistic outlook.

Hoeppner’s sickness slowed the progress being made on the field. That was to be expected.

Lynch emerged after Hoeppner’s death and IU made a bowl game. This year, the program struggled. It lacked strong leadership among the players and dealt with numerous injuries. Lynch and his staff decided to redshirt players that probably should have been playing, because they believe that’s the way to build a program. The staff also doesn’t want to grab a bunch of JUCO players to create a turnaround because they want to build the program around players who are here four or preferably five years.

Lynch’s plan makes sense; it’s not new. Kansas and Wake Forest and Missouri have followed it. Building a program takes time. More than a year. More than the four years its been since Hep arrived, since those years included his prolonged sickness and IU still lags behind the Big Ten in facilities. The North End Zone project will be a huge improvement; it will also barely put IU on par with the rest of the league. It’s not going to blow away recruits who are also taking trips to other schools. What probably has shocked those recruits in recent years is just how shabby the buildings that house the football program are in comparison.

Would you guys fire Ron Zook? The Illini fell off considerably this year.

I understand that some of you are furious about the Lynch situation. But I can’t empathize. I just don’t see it. I covered Penn State football for five years before coming to Bloomington and the differences in the two programs when I arrived were absolutely stunning on so many fronts (and Penn State had some of its most difficult seasons while I was covering the program). It was clear then — before I even realized how sick Hoeppner was — that we wouldn’t be covering a Rose Bowl anytime soon and would instead focus our reporting on a staff trying to build something where, quite frankly, there had existed only an under appreciated, underfunded program that could not reasonably be expected to compete in a conference such as the Big Ten without the sort of change that takes years to enact.

Well said Chris, and i wish to expand on one of the points you made: Lack of leadership.

The fan base needs someone that they can rally behind. Someone they know will bring charisma, a sort of moxie, if you will. We lacked that this year. I would struggle to find anyone who would rally behind him. He did absolutely nothing in my mind to inspire the fan base this year. I want to at least see Lynch as emotional as Crean. Crean is someone that the entire staff got behind. He says the right things, and his results show(recruiting-wise…let’s not talk about the current status of the team. This season doesn’t count :P). Crean seems to inspire his players. And for about the 1200th time this has been said. Lynch does not inspire the confidence in his players at half-time.

I’m trying not to spark a huge debate, as it would be folly, considering he will be back next year and we can complain halfway into the season when are record is not up to par.

Zach, you really hit the nail on the head. I want to believe in Lynch. I’m looking for a reason to believe in Lynch. I’m dying for a reason to believe in Lynch! And I can’t find a reason to believe in Lynch.

I don’t want to fire another coach. I don’t want to start over. I don’t want to have another dismal season.

I want Indiana football to be a winning program. I’d be thrilled if Lynch becomes the guy that takes us to that promised land. And so far I can’t find a single reason to believe in him, beyond the hope that he is a decent recruiter. Otherwise, he seems to be the anti-Hep / anti-Crean.

No connection to the fans, seeming loss of confidence by the team, apparent inability to coach the team at halftime…

I think our coach needs a coach. Someone to help him with the bigger role of a coach beyond the football field. And perhaps even on the football field.

If Lynch pulls through, I will be the first person to say I was wrong to doubt him. And I hope I get that chance.

lynch simply isnt a leader and doesnt have the intensity to win. glass is equally off on the wrong foot in keeping lynch. he had the chance to start over with a leader that HAS A CHANCE. lynch gives us ZERO chance and that is why so many people hate him being coach.

I wish everyone who put the time in to suggest we fired our coach would also try to pressure the athletics department to our improve our facilities……It’s hard to recruit when your options are to play at this H*ll hole or go play somewhere where there are state of the art facilities

Seriously anyone defending Lynch after this season is either A a family member or B being bribed by him. Anyone who knows anything about football knows he has lost this team and its only a matter of time before he gets fired. CK points out instances where patience has paid off, well there are just as many quick turnarounds for programs who hire coaches who have a track record for winning.

“Would you guys fire Ron Zook? The Illini fell off considerably this year.”

Illinois still out-gained their Big Ten opponents on an average of 86.5 yards per game. Last year that number was in the 40s. They improved in yardage, just had turnovers kill them.

That’s really a horrible argument. Their program is leaps and bounds ahead of us in perception, talent, and production. Considering 3 years ago we were at the same position, THAT’S why people are upset.

So what are you saying Korman? You want IU to stick to its contract with Lynch? Let HIM rebuild our program? Yes, it takes time, but you wouldn’t let a Contractor who’s houses consistently lose their value build your house would you?

Look people, I’ve been a season ticket holder every year except one since the mid 90’s when I was a student. Only that year alone did I ever miss an IU home game.

Here’s the deal, you lose recruits, you gain recruits. We still have 13 3 star players committed and 1 2 star player. 1 4 star player and 1 3 star player leaving is NOT going to sink IU.

Watkins for example was an unknown until this year. Does one year mean he’s as good as 3 stars? Time will tell.

Gainer is loss because he could probably have contributed right away defensively.

Look at it this way, Eric Gordon de-committed from Illinois to come to IU, for example. A 5 star recruit if I recall. What did Bruce Webber do to deserve that? Illinois had been successful at present. They were up while IU was down and they still lost a highly touted recruit. Kids change their mind for any number of reasons. Keep in mind exactly that, they’re kids, and their minds change often from morning to night and from day to day.

We have not had a stable coach, i.e. longer than 3 years, since Cam Cameron. Each coach deserves 4 or 5 years to produce a winner. Then, it’s time to replace them. This was only Lynch’s 2nd year, but his first year was different. Players were driven by Coach Hep’s death.

I was pissed off about the team this year as I was looking forward to another bowl trip. Last year in AZ was fantastic. However, we need some stability. We can’t keep changing coaches every 2 or 3 years to rebuild and expect different results. We made our bed and we should lie in it through the 2010 season. 2 years from now after the 2010 season if we have not had another bowl game then it’s time to make the change.

But, keep in mind the next 2 years we’ll have Ohio St., Michigan and Penn St. on the schedule. The two teams missing ironically are Minnesota and Michigan St.! We will not play either of them again until 2011. So, Watkins (Minn.) and Gainer (Minn. or Mich St.) will not see IU for a couple years. Who knows, we may not even remember them by then.

Chris’ argument for keeping Lynch around for the duration of his contract echoes my feelings exactly: the man has been given the job of making chicken salad out of chicken s***. Give him some time to raise his own chickens (ok, I’m done with that metaphor). Hep was, like Crean, a master salesman and a good coach – exactly what we needed at that point in time. But, coaches like that are not just laying around waiting for a crappy job to open. Lynch is a solid football coach and a poor salesman. You’re not going to get a Hep or Crean gung-ho routine out of him because that’s not who he is. Is he good enough to keep beyond his contract? – the jury is still out on that one, and frankly the results so far don’t look real good. But, let’s give him a couple more years to let the program stabilize, let the new facilities open and hopefully make us more attractive to recruits, and hope that the cyclical nature of football fortunes finds us improving. Keeping him risks suffering through a couple more depressing down years. Changing coaches again guarantees more chaos and at least a couple more down years.

I am tired of reading the “Fire Bill Lynch” crap from all the shmoes who own a computer but can barely type, let alone understand logic. Why is it so hard to understand that IU simply cannot stabilize a program when they’re changing coaches every 2 years?

I didn’t like the idea of giving Lynch a contract but, geez…he rallied a group of kids who just lost their coach & managed to get them to a bowl game–the 1st one for the program in over a decade, no less. What was IU supposed to do?

“Thanks, Bill, for taking over in such a stressful period of time & steering the ship all the way to a bowl game. But, ya know, you were only here because Hep wanted you, not us. So, even though you recruited these kids, we’re gonna go off & find ourselves yet another coach. But, seriously, thanks for the help.”

I admit I didn’t agree with the 4 year deal – a 3 year would have been better – but there must have been a reason for it. Still, giving Lynch a shot was the only logical thing IU could do in order to stabilize the program. He deserved it. I hated sitting through this season & cursed his name on numerous occasions but screaming for his dismissal on a blog every chance I get is not gonna do it.

Do any of you know how long Gary Pinkel has been at Mizzou? What about Mangino at Kansas? Answer: 8 & 7 seasons. Did people really think those programs jumped into the national spotlight overnight? UCONN is starting to build themselves a decent program. Anyone know how long Randy Edsall has been there? 10 seasons.

Besides, what would it look like to potential candidates if IU did fire Lynch right now? The guy guides a perennially bad program to its 1st bowl game in years, follows it with a bad season (that was also riddled with injuries), & they fire him? Why would any decent coach want to come into a toxic situation like that?

All you apologists, including Korman, just don’t get it. Bill Lynch was a bad hire to begin with. If this were an upstart young coach going through a hard season after taking a team to a bowl, such as a Steve Sarkisian, I would be as patient as patient can be…but Lynch is a proven failure at the D-I level. Why the heck to you think continuity is a good thing when it amounts to “continued junk”? Do you think that anything can get better just by giving it time? Boy, I hope none of you get married any time soon. You have to make the right choice to begin with – you can’t just “wait it out” and expect it to improve. Make a good first choice.

By the way, I like how Korman put it:
“Lynch emerged after Hoeppnerâ€™s death and IU made a bowl game. This year, the program struggled.”

Noticed how he subtly and intentionally makes a point NOT to link Lynch directly to the bowl as in “Lynch took IU to a bowl game”. He just “emerged” and then “Iu went to a bowl game”. At least Korman realizes Lynchie shouldn’t get too much credit for that one, especially the way he prepared the team for a shellacking by OSE…

If you think I am going to apologize to you over a reporters opinion (sorry Chris) you are sadly mistaken.

I do respect Chris and his opinion as a writer, it doesn’t mean I agree with him. This is one aspect I do not agree with him on.

There are many things that has went on in the program, and there are many obstacles to over come, and they all start with the coaching staff and their choices.

Yes they red shirted players that could have helped us better, but that isn’t as big an issue to me as other things that happened. Some of the early going problems can be put on injury, but not all of the problems.

Before the season began, before injuries became an issue, the first mistake was made Kellen Lewis was named the start the week of our first game. In that time, Lynch and company implemented a new, no huddle offense that had been ran by Chappell.

We played two minor league opponents that made Kellen look like the Lewis of old, though he was rusty. I will even admit, I was beginning to drink the kool-aid at that point.

Then we got to play real teams, and started getting the brakes beat off us.

The offense was out of sync, couldn’t pick up first downs, and was putting the defense on the field without rest. Sorry bud, but those were decisions made by the coaching staff before the first game that caused the issues.

If you don’t believe me, take a look about 50 miles north of here. Lynch and company got the no huddle from and was coached by Dungy and company in the off season. That is the offense they implemented.

What did the Colts look like to start this season? Through the first 7 games, they were 3-4, losing 3 of those 4 games to mediocre teams in the Bears, Packers and Vikings. What was the problem? Peyton being out of camps and preseason and not in rhythm with his offense, his delivery and timing were off and he was not efficient running the offense. He has now getting that rhythm back, and the Colts are now rolling on a 7 game winning streak.

The difference here is easy, Peyton and company have enough talent to overcome a slow start, and it was a calculated move. IU didn’t have that luxury, then Kellen twist his ankle, and you thrust Chappell back in who is now out of sync with the offense, and it starts all over.

Greenspan made the mistake of hiring Lynch on the emotion of a bowl game without doing a proper coaching search. Now we have Glass coming in, and like all have said, Glass couldn’t fire Lynch right now.

Also, if you read what I write, I am no longer calling for Lynch to be fired, I know it will not happen, and I know we will have at least next season with him being on board. The theme of my post is to show that the short comings in the program this year are far more than injuries, are far more than Lynch trying to build from nothing (sorry boys, the base was built by HEP) and there are things that were done wrong from the beginning.

If more people would recognize that the issues start in the coaching offices, and trickle down from there, maybe more people would no longer be willing to accept us being a bottom feeder program that is competing with MAC teams (not Big Ten teams) for recruits.

I will not call for Lynch to be fired until at least week 4 of next year, but I am not going to sit back while you post 1/2 truths and refuse to recognize the underlying problems of the current staff.

I honestly hope this time next year I am sitting here with a huge plate of crow in front of me, but I just don’t see it happening.

Pinkle and Mangino are good coaches BottleRocket. Yes, it takes time. That has absolutely nothing at all to do with Lynch’s coaching ability. NOTHING!!! With the wrong man at the position, which has always been the case at IU, 100 years won’t make a difference. Stop with the “it takes time to build a program” BS..

And what if IU goes 6-6 or better next season? What if there is another bowl game? Then what? Lynch will be a lame-duck coach in need of an extension in order to keep recruiting up. Then people will complain about extending him because people still think he’s a bad coach. Never mind the program has stabilized & would be showing signs of improvement. I’m not saying it will happen – it would take a minor miracle – but what if it did?

I question some of his coaching decisions, too. But when you’ve got a very young team, like IU, sometimes your hands can be tied. The point is, IU is in no position to fire Lynch over ONE season.

If next season equals this season it’s a completely different situation: the AD has had a full season to assess Lynch & decide to extend or fire Lynch. But for now, there’s simply no point to the “fire Bill Lynch” junk.

It’s easy to say Pinkel & Mangino are good coaches now but I wonder if Mizzou & KU fans thought that when they were stinking up the Big 12 in their first season?

Why the heck would Lynch need another extension if he has a mediocre season next year? He has plenty of years on his contract that he would not warrant any further years being tacked onto a flawed hire and flawed extension already given to him.

“Itâ€™s easy to say Pinkel & Mangino are good coaches now but I wonder if Mizzou & KU fans thought that when they were stinking up the Big 12 in their first season?”

Having lots of family in the Big 12 country, I can tell you Kansas fans backed Mangino. Mangino though came from a proven background of coaching. He started his Carree under Jim Tressel at Youngstown State, he was the OC under Bob Stoops at Oklahoma, and was one year removed from a National Championship when hired at Kansas.

The Coach he replaced (Terry Allen) at Kansas was 20-33 over his 5 seasons. Mangino has been in Kansas for 7 years, and has made a bowl game this year for the 4th time, playing in arguably one of the toughest (Big 12 South) conferences in NCAA football.

Pinkel at Mizzou was welcomed, but under a little more fire by fans who wanted to win. This was because of his prior success as a coach. He delivered to. The year before Pinkel took over, Mizzou was 3-8, they went 4-7, 5-7 and 8-5 his first 3 years. His 4th year they were down to 5-6, from there they have went 7-5, 8-5, 12-2 and 9-4, he has a 58-41-0 record at Missouri, prior to that he had a 73-37-3 record coaching in the MAC.

The best record Larry Smith ever had was 8-4 and tied for 2nd in the Big 12 North. In 7 seasons Smith only took them to 2 bowl games. Pinkel has finished 2nd three times, 1st two years in a row, is going to his 4th straight bowl, and his 5th in 8 years.

Thanks for that research there, Mike. Like I have said, anyone who makes these comparisons to Pinkel (former UW coach, by the way) are ignoring the fact that Lynch was a dud to begin with. Please, people: address this fact, before you continue your “give him some time” rant.

How do you think Auburn fans feel right now, after their storied university hired a guy who might be the next Bill Lynch? You have fans lining up at the airport to express their displeasure with the incoming coaching choice. My guess is, those fans will get their wish, for showing their belief that you attack the problem at the roots.

And Lynch has a better winning percentage than Mangino in his career….all anyone ever looks at with Lynch is his two years at BSU where he lost 21 games in two years. Then he brought them back to within .500 his last two years. So if your examples of coaches that had time hold true, then we should give Lynch a chance. The argument that he is a bad coach or a poor motivator may be true, but his past record cannot be the ONLY reason for calling for his firing. Every excuse someone has come with has been refuted, except what happens on Saturdays from here on out. If he proves he can’t cut the mustard, fine. But I for one don’t want to absorb another contract if we don’t have to, and we don’t have to according to Mr. Glass at this particular time. Give the man some time, if he can’t do it, then we move on. But can you honestly fire a guy after he brings you the best season in 15 years after the death of the great motivator? I would not want to work for a program that does this. NO COACH WOULD.

They would ask themselves….why do I want to coach for a school that has no real football tradition, no administrative support until very recently, and attempts to fire a coach after a bowl game season. We have to start from scratch. The big difference is that now we have some support from the administration.

This situation is not going to turn around in a year, two years, even five years, but we have to be patient, diligent and supportive. We afford Tom Crean the same patience (10 years), why not 4 years for Lynch?

The only reason Lynch wasnt fired is because IU could not afford to do it right now. Mcrobbie is fed up with athletics taking up his time. Mcrobbie is focused on increasing IU’s academic and IT reputation, which is commendable. With the recent salary and hiring freezes, its clear that Lynch was saved for financial reasons only.

Mangino has only Coached in D1 football, his 44-41 record is a .517 average.

If you want to compare records, you need to compare Lynch’s D1 record, which happens to be 47-68 (not counting the UConn or S. Illinois games) for a whopping .408 average.

You also forget that Lynch took over for a coach who had a winning record and program at BSU.

You say “This situation is not going to turn around in a year, two years, even five years, but we have to be patient, diligent and supportive.”, but you neglect the fact that the turn around had started.

3-8, 2-9, 3-8 before Hep, 4-7, 5-7 (2 losses belong to Lynch) with Hep, 7-5 the year Hep dies, the program was moving forward.

You act like Lynch took over a 2-10 team with nothing left. Lynch took over a team that would have been in a bowl game in 2006 if Hep coached the UConn and S. Illinois games. Hep had the program moving forward. Lynch has 2009 to prove himself, but anything less than a bowl game has got to be considered a failure next year.

Wow. The discussion has stayed for the most part civil. Must be the holiday spirit running through you. Thanks, guys.

Let me address the Illinois comparison, which IUFan called “awful.”

Illinois won a Big Ten Championship in 2001, when the kids being recruited the past few years were just starting to watch college football. Indiana hadn’t been to a bowl since 1993 (and even then it was one nobody even thinks about), which is around the time the kids being recruited the past few years were learning to walk. That, coupled with the facility differences, lousy crowds at IU and its reputation as a basketball-only school means, to me, that IU was never anywhere near being in the same position as Illinois.

Before you complete your work of revisionist history, turning Lynch’s Ball State career from a bad MAC tenure with 1 bowl game into a Cinderella story, clean your glasses and look closer at the screen. Haven’t you seen Lynch’s Division I record? Are you reading other people’s points? It isn’t all mindless rant – there are some undeniable statistics our there that you can’t reckon with.

Korman- It seems like you and the rest of the rest-on-the-laurels crowd are trying to “explain away” every blemish on Lynch’s record or inconvenient comparison to other programs that have done things the right way. Since you are on a roll, please “explain away” how Minnesota was able to fire their coach in 2007, have one terrible season, and now be in better bowl game than we are while taking our recruits.

Just a general point to conclude:
If IU is a basketball-only school, then abolish the football program. Why bother? Why do things half-kilter? Clearly, I have given plenty of examples why there is no excuse to throw manure on your football program just because you have a basketball tradition. Let me remind you that Kentucky, Kansas, Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Cincinnati, North Carolina State and Wake Forest are all going to bowls this year, and all have football programs in way better shape than ours.

Did you see ILLI play us?? They could of beat us by 100 if they wanted to. They also actually played at Missouri instead of another d 2 school. Goldie Hawn could of coached us to 3 wins this year. Whats more discouraging is the fact we get blanked almost every second half and get absolutely destroyed. It would be one thing if we went down fighting but there is no fight left for Lynch.

The apologists have blinders on like you would never believe. Lynch just might be the worse D1 or even DII coach in the US of A. Yet, we have people blaming IU, the program, the facilities, etc for the teams failures. I agree, if we are content with a terrible program, then get rid of it. There are many people on the IU payroll that deserve better pay, so make that happen. When does Lynch take responsibility, rather than spouting off his lame mantra of going back to work.

During Lynch’s two years we finished SECOND to last and NOW DEAD LAST by 52 points. I just can’t comprehend how this man still has a job. Maybe its a good fit the guy with the longest losing streak ever with a program used to losing. Blind loyalty has some real flaws and when your losing to your rival’s worst team in a decade by 52 points its time to get a real coach.

Randy,
What bothers me the most is still seeing all of this Lynch support. Just think of it this way. If we were to implement a hiring process, and Lynch was a candidate, would he get the job? NO WAY!!! His resume’ wouldn’t stand up to half of the D2 candidates that would apply. Its just ridiculous to still see this support… Lynch supporters should be slapped!!!

As much as I hate it, he was saved by these terrible economic times and Sampson himself. If IU could afford to fire him, they would have done it. Now is not the economical time to do it, even if he deserves is 100%.

Names have been brought up comparing to Bill Lynch. It seems that Bill Lynch is the worst coach ever and should have never been hired. According to these numbers, he is not any worse than any other coach, and some he is actually better. Here is some comparisons with other Big Ten Coaches:

There have been accusations that Lynch has been a longtime loser, however, the numbers don’t lie. He has similar records to all of these coaches (save the current tops Tressel, Paterno, and Bielema) But every record is similar to Lynch’s. The only difference is that every other football program has gotten more attention from their Athletic Department (Save maybe NW). Do you think the folks at SDSU are crying because they hired a sub-.500 career coach? Probably because he was cleaning up from Lynch, right? No football coach for IU in the past 15 years has received any support from the administration until now, and we need more.

Point is, you can’t clean up a mess that took 15 years to make in 2 years.

Career records are career records, regardless of division. I would rather have a guy with 10 years of Division 2 experience than no experience at all. Tressel made his name at Youngstown State, and I don’t think he wants to forget it either.

By the way:
Terry Hoeppner: 57-39

If Hoeppner wanted Lynch to coach while he was out, why in the world can we not support it for at least the remainder of his contract.

The problem is that top to bottom (from administration to the fans) the IU football program has taken a back seat and has not gotten the funding or attention it deserves. And every year, fans like yourself say that a quick fix is necessary to get our program up. Hoeppner was on his way to fixing this program, and it took a man as great as him to do it. But sadly, he passed, and with him left the enthusiasm of resurrecting this program. Now I will agree that Lynch is not as charismatic, but he is our coach and we need to support him. If you don’t want to, then go away, but he and the team need everyone’s support, including the fans.

You don’t want to support Lynch, then fine.
You would rather sell your team spirit then sit in the stands and support this team, then fine.
You would rather gripe and complain on a blog about a decision that has already been made 18 times over to keep the HC, then fine.

Unless you have about 3 million dollars on you:

There is nothing you can do, Lynch is staying, and I would not be surprised if it was for the tenure of his contract. Get on board, grab a paddle, root for your team, if you care anymore.

And I love how you conveniently leave out Lynch’s D-II record, which is laughable. So I guess if we leave out that record, do we leave out the assistant coaching records? Why can we leave out Lynch’s other accomplishments but only dwell on the 0-21 losing streak from a less than supportive administration in BSU? Face it, a TEAM is a TEAM, and Lynch is the face, but EVERYONE is involved from top to bottom. WE ALL MAKE THIS TEAM.

Anti – That is why you can’t includes is D2 and D3 records when comparing to coaches who have only held head coaching jobs on the D1 level. Apples to Apples man.

Rick Mangino didn’t have HC experience when hired, however he was the OC of a NATIONAL CHAMPION! D1 coaching record, better than Lynch.

Randy Edsall started coaching under Tom Coughlin, his coaching pedigree includes a SUPER BOWL WINNING COACH! He took over a D2 program, and made them a competitive D1 program.

Charlie Weis – Still a better pedigree than Lynch, but is not getting the job done. D1 record, still better than Lynch.

Brady Hoke rebuilt BSU, had an undefeated regular season this past year, in a school that has very little tradition. D1 record is better than Lynch.

Mike Gundy is a man and he’s 41 now. Man that joke doesn’t get old. However, Gundy has been there 4 years, 4-7, 7-6, 7-6 & 9-3, he is in his 3rd straight bowl game, and is 2-0 to this point. D1 coaching record, still better than Lynch.

I could care less what Billy boy done at Butler, or at DePauw. IU is not a D2 or D3 school, IU is a D1, Big 10, BCS school, and we should demand a coach who can get it done on a D1 level.

Mike,
By that rationale you should thus include Lynch’s accomplishments as a coordinator in D-1 as well. You say you throw out D-II okay, what about Lynch’s credentials as a D-1 coordinator? I think he was okay doing that as well. You can’t have it both ways, you can’t bash Lynch’s D-I record with other coaches as assistants and not bring up his assistant coaching tenure as well.

As if I even cared what the board thought, but I think I know what it is week after week. The H-T can’t even post a story without the knuckle draggers coming on and posting FIRE BILL LYNCH!

Listen, we know you don’t like the coach, we know, we know, we know. Assume that we have your opinion written down about a million times. I know you are frustrated, I am too, but how is continuing to call for a coach’s head after numerous reminders that he is not going anywhere going to accomplish anything, unless, well, you just like to hear yourself talk. I am leaning towards the latter.

Anti/Aruss (the same person): You are the only one that is funny here, because you will do whatever it takes to support your lovable loser. It is really nauseating. With “loyal” fans like you, we could expect to never win more than 3 conference games and go to the Papajohns Bowl once every 20 years. You are more than happy enjoying your comfortable, empty seats at the stadium, popping your cracker-jacks with no crowd noise to bother you, a couple guaranteed wins every year over Murray State and Oberlin College, followed by a series of blowouts at the hands of mediocre Big 10 teams, and a “good man” as a coach that couldn’t teach a center how to hike the ball. “It’s just IU”, you’ll say. “THis is just who we are”. “You are either with us or against us”. (Sound like the 2004 presidential elections, anyone?)
Don’t worry, this blog has shown me that there is real passion out there for this program. From loudmouths like myself, to football minds like Mike P, to steady contributors like “Peegs anti reverse”, I know we have the genuine desire and willpower to rally the public behind a better, non status-quo future for IU football. Thank god for those heroes who held up the Fire Lynch sign – if it weren’t for them, Lynch would get a 10 year contract renewal

He is one of the most respected coaches/football people in the state (sans a few brainless invertebrates on here). He is an inductee of the Indiana Football Hall of Fame. He has coached in an around this state for over 30 years, he wants to coach at IU, he is trying to do what he feels is best for the program, he is cheap, he has had some success, he has the enormous and unenviable task of trying to resurrect a football program that has never received proper support from a strictly basketball school. He has lost a dear dear friend in Terry Hoeppner, and still has pushed on. He has received endorsements from all facets of this team’s history and community (Mallory, Jane and Terry Hoeppner) supporting him. He has been whipped at home by 40 points consistently all while trying to field a team with less than 50% of it healthy, moronic students raising a bed sheet in the upper levels requesting that he be canned, and yet, he has put up with the gambit, and even asshats that like to post on here, and he is still the coach.

If I were him, I would leave. With fans like the ones that post on here, he needs to find a better place where he will be appreciated. Then you can sit with your bitterness and false dreams of a great program, and try try try again to maintain the fleeting success that you had in the 80’s. I hope he leaves, he is better than some of these despicable people that want his head.

“Charlie Weis – Still a better pedigree than Lynch, but is not getting the job done. D1 record, still better than Lynch.”

Pedigree???? So we are holding Bill Lynch’s BREEDING against him now?? What will we stoop to. He was an OC with the Pats…so once again, the OC question comes into play.

“You act like Lynch took over a 2-10 team with nothing left. Lynch took over a team that would have been in a bowl game in 2006 if Hep coached the UConn and S. Illinois games. Hep had the program moving forward. Lynch has 2009 to prove himself, but anything less than a bowl game has got to be considered a failure next year.”

We still have the same talent we had when Hep was here. It is gradually becoming better. Hep was sick, we had a redshirt freshman starting at QB for the SIU and UCONN games…oh and by the way, we almost lost to BSU with HEP on the sidelines….but wait, let me try to level the playing field a bit.

Good. Get him out. Tell him to take Aruss with him; they can have their own feel-good, warm and fuzzy circle where they validate each other and talk about the good old days when Lynch coached Co-ed football at Butler. Please, make him go away. I hope he reads the blog; that would be a great example of students speaking up and for once getting their wish and being listened to.

You know what I find funny, Anti? You just said

“false dreams of a great program”.

That is all I need to know about you. I know exactly where you are coming from now. You are no more, no less, the apathetic guy I described two posts ago. You have no expectations, no hopes, no desires, no ambitions, no standards for football. All you care about is having less traffic to wait in on game day. Next year, you will get your wish.

And Mike,
They gave Mangino all the time in the world to turn that program around, why not Lynch. Mangino’s first few seasons were not great, they can tell you. Lynch may not have been apart of a national title team, but it can go either way with that kind of choice.

You want to include his OC experience. He has had 2 stints as an OC, one in Ball State, from 1990-1992.

In 1989, BSU was 8-3, in comes Lynch, 1990 BSU goes 7-4, 1991 they are 6-5, 1992 they are 5-6 (whoa, look at the pattern!), in 1993 Billy boy was gone from BSU and was the QB coach at Indiana, BSU’s record in 1993 without Billy boy was 8-3-1.

His next coordinator job was at IU under Hep. Key thing to this was Hep. I am almost positive Hep made most of the play calls, and it seemed very evident when he was out against UConn and S. Illinois and Lynch took over Hep’s duties.

Its either one of the Billys. Hes better off elsewhere? No way Lynch would land a job at ANY D1 school, expect for, you guessed it, IU! Where we have “lowered expectations” and excuses from the likes of Arsus/AntiHusky

My name says it all. I support Bill Lynch because he is the head coach of Indiana University Football. I have great dreams that we will be a competitive program once again, but I know that it will take time, hard work, and patience, which some of us never seem to have. We have a 7-5 season, and all the sudden we have aspirations of the Rose Bowl. There is a reason we have only made the Rose Bowl once, and it is folks like you. Unhappy, unwilling to let things play out, unwilling to support a team that is trying to find itself, impatient, always wanting the quick fix. I hope you enjoy next season too. And everytime you piss and moan on this board, I will be there to support coach Lynch, THE HEAD COACH OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL.

And you will probably get your wish. Lynch will probably get canned and go somewhere where he will be appreciated and you can hope for the next big coach to come and take the crap of this pathetic and hateful portion of the fan base. At least Lynch wants to be here, why on earth he does is beyond me, probably because he loves this university.

Edsall took a D2 UConn team, stepped up to D1, and made them competitive. As I said, his D1 record is better.

The “pedigree” has nothing to do with breeding, it has to do with your coaching tree you come under.

And yes, Lynch was an OC, but let me ask you, would you want an OC that was 18-15 at BSU, or would you want an OC with a National Championship in College football, or an OC with multiple Super-Bowl rings.

You are comparing a bottom tier OC job in the MAC to the OC job at one of the premiere programs in the NCAA, and an OC job for a multiple NFL Super-Bowl champion. That’s like comparing the Penthouse suite to a basement studio apartment.

So you support someone “just because” they are your leader? Go join the Army. Or the Republican party. Here amongst the educated, we democratically elect and evaluate our leaders, because we know they are imperfect and make mistakes just like we do. If necessary, we replace leaders with better ones. Bill Lynch isn’t the Pope.

No Rose bowl expectations here, but looking at our schedule this year, 8 home games, an easy road game in Minny, and Purdue being the worse they have been in decades. I expected at least an 8-4 season this year.

I would be more excepting of the 3-9 record and blaming it on the injuries if it wasn’t for the fact they were tied or with in 1 score at half time of 7 of the losses.

Ars/AntiHusk, your propoganda is weak. The people calling for Lynch to be fired are not expecting Rose Bowls or Championships. Those would be nice in say 5 years, but we all expected, and deserved at least a winning season. To beat the teams we SHOULD beat. Not get outscored in some insane fashion during 2nd halfs, field a prepared and competitive team, and show leadership. Doesnt sound like unrealisitc expectations no matter how pathetic you think IU football is. You cant see yourself in the mirror, people like yourself are the ones that drag IU football down, and keep it there.

WOW!!! Now I wonder what the second half points scored for each of those coaches above would have been. That is what did it for me. If you get through all the other crap, the one thing that stands out is how IU was dominated in the second half. I am not going to get on Anti but the one comment at the end of the long post about cleaning up a mess from 15 years in 2 years…we went to a bowl last year and returned 17 starters. What more do you want???

Can we drop this already? Korman clearly laid out why Lynch should be supported for the duration of his contract. Support coach and team or go to the ball state site and help them find a coach to scratch your coach hunting itch.

Aruss, I agree it is beating a dead horse, but he does need to go. I will support the team even though half of my party did not renew their tickets. I am looking forward to next year already. If we win under Lynch I will eat crow big time and take my medicine but if we lose…I will be the biggest “I told you so” guy in the world!!!

I dont blame any kid for backing out of IU. Who in the world would wanna play for Bill Lynch. I dont care if the bill lynch issue is beating a dead horse, i am gonna take two steps back, run up and kick it again!! FIRE HIM NOW! That guy is a travesty as a football coach and he is making me care less about IU football.

Korman’s post is his opinion and is only partially right in the situation we are faced with.

All the teams he gives as examples went out after coaches who were affiliated with top tier programs and/or the NFL. Our coaches claim to fame is winning the Monon Bell.

Starting January 9th the 2009 season officially begins (all the bowls are played), Lynch and company will have my full support for signing day, all of spring practice, pre-season, and I will have my season tickets again next year. I will be rooting on the team, in my seats 2 hours before game time watching the opponents warm up.

I will be 100% behind IU football, and hoping that Lynch proves me wrong, but rest assured, if the team is spiraling down, I will be screaming loud for his removal, and for it to happen BEFORE November. If they play hard, competitive ball, then I will be happy, and eat some crow.

Aruss/Anti- Go somewhere else if you are tired of talking about it. This is by far the most active thread in weeks. Talking is fun. If you have something better to talk about, propose it, and if it’s good, like market economics, it will take over and drown out our wise Lynch comments.

I am kind of surprised, actually, that you Lynch-lovers even have the internet. I thought that all the old townies who are satisfied with losing and think that change is impossible would still be writing to the newspapers to express their opinions.

Will – kids aren’t backing out of committments because they don’t want to play for Coach Lynch. Recruits will back out because they think he will be fired because of the loud mouth MINORITY of fans calling for him to be fired.

Aruss, I would really hope the majority of knowledgeable IU fans would want Bill Lynch fired. He doesnt have a shot in the dark to ever coach an IU team to a .500 record again. I totally get the fact that he is not going to be fired, and IU probably cant afford to do it, but it doesnt change the fact he is an awful head coach. Any IU coach that goes up to Purdue and loses like that, no matter what the circumstances, should be fired by the end of the weekend.

Korman- We’ve been through this on many threads before. First, you put together a committee and show that you are serious. Take some time. No emotional reaction decisions influenced by Jane Hoepner and the IU announcers, who made the most impetuous, sentimental pleas to re-hire Lynch the moment that Starr’s field goal went through the uprights.
Then, look up and down, left and right, at all your possibilities. Fired NFL guys, successful OCs and DCs from major programs, head coaches from smaller programs who have WINNING RECORDS and proven track records. Don’t be influenced by the morons on this blog who think that this is not an attractive job. Yes, we don’t have much of a tradition, unless you count our losing tradition, but for many, many coaches, the thrill of a turning around a downtrodden program beats the heck out of taking the helm of a high-pressure spot like Auburn or N.D. We are still in the Big 10, you know.
Next, put some money on the table. No one on this blog need preach fiscal responsibility; they are not part of the IU administration, have no idea of the revenue potential of a consistent 7-8 win football team, and are in no position to act as armchair accountants for the university. We are one of the most well-endowed public schools in the country. We can pay a good coach.

I am not going to mention many names, but as a start, how about Turner Gill, the Buffalo coach,or even better, Jerry Moore at Appalachian State? He beat Michigan, for crying out loud, something that we will never do as long as Lynchie holds the clipboard.

I was hoping for one of the big 12 coordinators, their offenses are at other levels! Hell throw some money at big game Tommy Tuberville, its worth a shot plus the guy has an actual track record of WINNING in D 1. I think we if we can’t get a proven winner (which I think we can!) we need a youthful recruiter who has a lot of energy to bring to the program. How none of our coaches even below Lynch managed to keep their jobs is unconscionable.

After it’s all said and done, who would I hire? I would look at some of the good assistants around football. It’s amazing to me how someone like Bud Foster out of VT doesn’t have a job. It has to be that he doesn’t want one. It boggles my mind if it was anything else. If i had to choose though out of actual candidates, I would like Venables of Oklahoma. If you can shut down TTU, you must be God.

I agree with Tom, MONEY is one of the driving forces in football. It made Hoke go to SDSU(My opinion, anyway), made June Jones go to SMU. If we pony up the money, there are people who will entertain coming here.

I am one of the people that would like to see Lynch removed from the head coaching position into an assistant. Let’s face it, he’s recruited very well considering what he has had to work with.

I would stick around the board more if there were something different to talk about. I was going to say the same thing to you Husky. But if you must stoop to petty insults such as why Lynch supporters even have the internet, it’s so we can tolerate obnoxious asshats like yourself. Everyone has an opinion, and it should be heard, regardless of what you believe. And by the way, I don’t plan on going anywhere. And neither is Lynch…..hee hee

Husky,
Once again you bring politics into the discussion. So we understand you hate the Republican party and Bill Lynch? And obviously me and Aruss. Do me a favor, can you please vomit up something else besides the same two points everytime? I like the discussion here but it makes me feel as if we have had the very same one before. Let me keep score here. You hate Lynch, I like him. Done. Now, can we please have a better discussion than why you hate the Repulican party and Lynch? Would it hurt your feelings if Lynch was a Democrat?

Peegs hater,
So your logic is that bashing the coach and saying nasty things about him actually helps the program? Interesting, do you have a blog I can subscribe to? I believe Glass already answered your questions, yet you continue to pine for better days. I believe we already have a good leader.

Yes philmo.
I want Hitler as my coach….sure, whatever you say. I have plenty of logic, it seems the Lynch haters on here don’t want to explore the fact that maybe Lynch is not as bad of a coach as everyone thinks. But like I said, just wait a few years, if he stinks like you say he does, then you will get your wish. I only hope the next coach gets better treatment. Go ask Nick Saban if he wants to coach here……..

and Chris,
We can’t have this discussion because no one wants to come to IU. If their a coach was treated in this manner, I would not blame a coach for not coming here. It’s an all out character assassination. I am only asking folks to look at the things Lynch has done. He had an elephant in the room when he was hired which was his D-1 record (apparently everyone wants to focus on that, which is fine), but he has done some things that are good. I just want folks to see that. He is a good coach in a very tough situation, and this doesn’t help. How can a guy effectively do his job when the Husky’s of the world rip his ass because he can’t pull a miracle out in two years after 15 years of futility.

I ask again, how would you feel if you did a good job (7-6 is good in IU’s case) and then were asked to step down because of a 0-21 streak 7 years ago?

NO coach will be good enough for these psychopaths. There isn’t a coach out there that would take a job that expects you to perform in year two. YOU WILL NEVER BE HAPPY.

Those nasty facts, how dare they accept 1-7 and terrible big ten performances year after year and losing by 40 and 50 points to bad teams how dare they say those nasty things or facts about mr lynch and his looseirs they are no longer the hoosiers if he is coach.

Zach,
HuskyTom stated that “I am not going to mention many names, but as a start, how about Turner Gill, the Buffalo coach,or even better, Jerry Moore at Appalachian State? He beat Michigan, for crying out loud, something that we will never do as long as Lynchie holds the clipboard.”
I simply responded that not many IU football coaches have beaten MU.

Philmo,
It was just last year (not year after year) that we were beaten by that much, I seem to recall losing like that in Heps first and second years on occasion too, or did that slip your mind? We also lost like that in the Dinardo era, Cam Cameron era, hell even Mallory lost some like that. What is the point? The real issue is that you have an axe to grind with Lynch. I don’t mind the insults, keep them coming.

Keep in mind I am not accepting that we finished poorly last year. I just want Lynch to have his chance just like everyone else. You asshats seem to think you give a coach 2 years as a HC that he can perform miracles. And what’s funnier is that after Glass came out in public for Lynch, you STILL want to bitch about it? And then insult me for trying to have a different opinion, and call me a Republican? Tisk tisk Mr Husky. Can we not have a good discussion without the drivel?

“I would stick around the board more if there were something different to talk about.”

Hmmmm….well, after you made that claim, you posted 5 MORE TIMES!!! Obviously, you are sticking around, my man!!! We have a good topic here, that inspires a lot of strong feelings. I’d much rather be talking about something important like this than about what color of shoes Tijan Jobe likes, or what type of season the Womens Softball team is having. You can taunt me all you like about Lynch being the coach next year – unfortunately, you will be suffering too when we only win 2 games and average 10,000 fans.

Let’s try not to insult each other over opinions. For whatever reason this is a divisive topic, but neither side lacks evidence to support its argument. Nobody is a moron for wanting Lynch to stay and nobody is a moron for wanting him to go. They just happen to have a different outlook on things.

To those saying that money isn’t an obstacle for IU: why hasn’t the school thrown big money at a big name coach before? I’m asking seriously, since I’ve only been around a few years.

My first choice would be Todd Graham from Tulsa. He coached under Rich Rod at West Virginia, he took over a program at Rice that was 1-11 the prior season, he took them from there to 7-5 and their first Bowl bid since 1960. He moved on to Tulsa where he is 20-7 in 2 seasons, winning the C. USA West twice, and going to 2 bowls. He would be expensive though, I would say 5 years, 8 million (1.6/yr) to get him here.

My second choice would be Dave Christensen, the OC from Missouri. He was the OC for Pinkel at Toledo, as was a major part of turning around Missouri and making them what they are. He is taking over a 4-8 Wyoming team next year. His salary has been reported to be around 750K/year.

Right now I can’t think of anyone else, but I will post more later when I do.

I think the answer is the boosters will shell out for basketball more. I am not sure though. I have asked this question a lot over the years. I would love to have everyone’s take on this. If IU shelled out 2 mill or so a year to a bigger name coach, it would pay in the end. Big name equals recruits, recruits equal winning, winning equals bodies in seats, bodies in seats equal…….MONEY!!!! It has always seemed like a NO brainer to me. Do the math at an avg home attendance over the past 15 seasons of say 20,000 empty seats which is generous. What is that over 15 years?

6 home games avg per season by 15 years is 90 games.

90 games by 20,000 seats is 1,800,000 empty seats

1,800,000 empty seats by 30 bucks a seat is $54,000,000

IU and the athletic office must be run by some real doofuses if they cannot see the benefit in hiring a big name. Why was this not done after Mallory was let go? Cutting corners gets you what we have now…NOTHING!!!

On the money issue, it might have a lot to do with the basketball program, but not in the way most people think. For 29 years IU had one of the best coaches in the NCAA running their basketball program. He ran it clean, graduated players and won, not just games, but championships! The thing is, he done this for peanuts compared to what a coach with his resume would get anywhere else.

The Athletic Department was spoiled, I think with Crean they finally realized that a Coach Knight is a once in a lifetime bargain, and their one time is up.

I went to undergrad at Ball St. and watched every ball state game and we went 0-21. I was there at Miami of Ohio when we broke the streak. I recently went to IU for grad school and what we saw on the field this year is A-typical of bill lynch coaching. No leadership, pop warner defensive schemes and offensive play calling. Players regressing, not improving… ive known Bill and his family for almost 20 years, but I am sick and tired of wasting my money on this guy… I have had IU season tix for the last 4 years and I will not be renewing this year.

Mike, you are so right. I transferred to IU in 97 and it was in the IDS that Knight had a base of 150,000. I remember how much Davis made as a base like 4 or 5 years later of 800,000. We were spoiled with Knight!

Wes, I hear ya man. I hope you at least go to a few games, even if you scalp!

antiHusk, you seriously cant see a poor leader when its right in front of your face. any objective evaluator would find that lynch is a failure. failed coaching history, failed hire, failed extension, failed leadership, failed intensity, failed recruiting, failed attendance, failed everything. oh but hes a nice guy! i dont care, i want a coach that inspires the fan base and the team to actually play hard for the entire game. crean can lose 20 games this year but if the kids play as hard as they have so far, thats fine by me. we fans can analize the siuation in a rational manner but you cant because you are lynchs #1 fanboy. enjoy the 5000 people that show up to the games, ok, ill give you 10000, and 80% will be the opposing teams fans. money well spent on the new construction, itll look great when the other team is kicking another PAT.

Why don’t you include lynch’s middle school and high school records there anti. HE is 4-12 in big ten and this year the team has gotten insanely worse. I got news for you as well, every team has injury problems. Its called coaching. Teams who have leaders don’t fold easily. Hell, our offense would look better if we ran a hailmary every play. The defense is a glorified prevent. The players are not even in the same screen as the other teams wr’s, thats coaching. You have to make adjustments, the coaches are clueless. 6 outta the 8 years at BSU lynch did not have a winning record. BSU is alot easier to win at then IU. The true fans are the ones out there calling for him to be fired because we don’t accept losing, that’s why the basketball program and soccer program have had so much success. We have a top 10 maybe 5 recruiting class coming in basketball because we have a motivational coach with a drive. Lynch is a proven loser, that is a fact. The quicker we get a coach who can unite the fan base the quicker we can get this thing at least respectable, something it is not now!

I haven’t really said much on this topic yet.. But it’s frustrating reading anti, i mean aruss’s posts… Let me elaborate.

You somehow think that Lynch deserves a chance to show he can be the coach that leads IU to prominence, but the question you keep avoiding is, what has he ever done in his years of coaching, to make you think he can take a Big Ten football program and turn it completely around??

I mean give me some facts, other than comparing him to other Big Ten coaches in terms of winning percentage at the D1 level, that show he is qualified to run a Big Ten program… The problem is, there are no facts. There is no track record that says.. “this guy is a winner,” there is nothing.

Lynch is already losing the top recruits who had verbaled for next year’s “heralded” (lol) class. So what if he’s in the Indiana coaching Hall of Fame, what is that based on? His high school coaching career? It has absolutely nothing to do with his tenure at Indiana. Last time I checked there was a MAJOR difference between High School and Division 1 athletics.

It’s obvious to anyone with a single brain cell that Lynch just is not the guy. He was given the job without a proper search, and has done NOTHING to show he deserves to continue to be the coach at IU. You can bring up as many other coaches with similar records you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that the program is in a downward spiral, and Lynch is at the helm.

I understand what you are saying about not bashing the coach because it doesn’t help the situation, but my thought is, that with enough pressure from the fanbase, maybe Glass will have the balls to make a move and fire this guy.